Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announced that Fredi Herrera-Sontay, a 42-year-old from Guatemala, has pleaded guilty to charges related to the transportation of an undocumented alien within the United States. Herrera-Sontay is facing up to 10 years in prison, although a sentencing date has not been scheduled.
The case stems from information received by the U.S. Border Patrol regarding a grey truck with a Georgia license plate traveling south on I-75, suspected of transporting undocumented aliens between Atlanta, Georgia, and South Florida. On January 29, 2025, Border Patrol agents identified Herrera-Sontay as the vehicle's registered owner and determined his illegal presence in the country.
Upon being stopped and questioned by agents, both Herrera-Sontay and a passenger revealed their Guatemalan citizenship but lacked documentation proving legal authorization to be in the United States.
A check on the vehicle showed it was purchased by Herrera-Sontay on February 4, 2022. At that time, its mileage was recorded at 88,054 miles; however, at the time of interception by authorities, it had reached 435,814 miles. This indicated that since its purchase, the vehicle had covered approximately 347,760 miles or about 9,660 miles monthly.
Both individuals were administratively arrested and taken to Jacksonville Border Patrol Station for immigration processing. During this process, it was discovered that Herrera-Sontay had previous immigration encounters and was removed from the United States on July 11, 2018. No prior encounters were found for his passenger.
During an interview with authorities, Herrera-Sontay disclosed he was paid $250 for transporting the passenger to Miami. He mentioned receiving similar payments for each person transported but could not specify how many times he had engaged in such activities.
The U.S. Border Patrol conducted the investigation into this case which is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Arnold B. Corsmeier.